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MARQUETTE -- There’s a new round of telephone scams and scammers making their way through Superiorland and beyond, said the Michigan State Police.
According to MSP Lt. Ben Eckola, Eighth District public information officer, this latest effort involves individuals posing as state police personnel. Scammers are calling individuals, falsely claiming the person called has missed a court date or committed some type of violation. The caller then demands payment be immediately paid, or the person will face arrest.
“If you receive a suspicious call, email, or text, hang up immediately if it’s a call and do not engage with the caller,” Eckola said in a press release. “Don’t click links or open attachments, don’t download files or respond to the message, block the caller or sender, report it as spam, and delete it from your device.”
The callers use this tactic to create a sense of urgency and panic, attempting to pressure individuals to provide payment or personal information, he said. MSP wants to make it clear that this is a scam.
“MSP will never call individuals to request sensitive personal information or ask for financial payments to be made directly to MSP personnel,” Eckola. “Other signs of an obvious scam are if the caller or message is asking for payment by prepaid gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, sending cash in the mail, or a pay app.”
When necessary, MSP will make in-person contact with individuals for official matters, including investigations or other law enforcement related matters.
Residents are urged not to share any sensitive information, addresses, family or friends' information, Social Security numbers or banking details over the phone with unknown callers, he added.